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Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Quantitative Analysis of Cancer Metastasis using an Avian Embryo Model
Published on: May 30, 2011
Evidence for calpains in cancer metastasis
Jiaxin Chen1, Yizheng Wu2, Lumin Zhang1
1Biomedical Research Center and Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of Zhejiang Province, Sir Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
Abstract:
Metastatic dissemination represents the final stage of tumor progression as well as the principal cause of cancer-associated deaths. Calpains are a conserved family of calcium-dependent cysteine proteinases with ubiquitous or tissue-specific expression. Accumulating evidence indicates a central role for calpains in tumor migration and invasion via participating in several key processes, including focal adhesion dynamics, cytoskeletal remodeling, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and apoptosis. Activated after the increased intracellular calcium concentration ( ) induced by membrane channels and extracellular or intracellular stimuli, calpains induce the limited cleavage or functional modulation of various substrates that serve as metastatic mediators. This review covers established literature to summarize the mechanisms and underlying signaling pathways of calpains in cancer metastasis, making calpains attractive targets for aggressive tumor therapies.
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